Community Driven Beach Management Practices: Case Study...

International Journal of Sustainability Management and Information Technologies 2020; 6(1): 1-12

http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/ijsmit

doi: 10.11648/j.ijsmit.20200601.11

ISSN: 2575-5102 (Print); ISSN: 2575-5110 (Online)

Community Driven Beach Management Practices: Case Study Velas, Kelshi, Anjarla Villages of India

Deepti Sharma1, *

, Nisha Pandey2

1Terra Nero Environmental Solutions Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai, India 2Vivekanand Education Society Institute of Management, Mumbai, India

Email address:

*Corresponding author

To cite this article: Deepti Sharma, Nisha Pandey. Community Driven Beach Management Practices: Case Study Velas, Kelshi, Anjarla Villages of India.

International Journal of Sustainability Management and Information Technologies. Vol. 6, No. 1, 2020, pp. 1-12.

doi: 10.11648/j.ijsmit.20200601.11

Received: May 1, 2019; Accepted: June 17, 2019; Published: January 7, 2020

Abstract: The beaches of Konkan are scenic and attractive from the tourism point of view. At the same time, they are rich in

intertidal and marine biodiversity. The same natural resource used by various stakeholders has historically led to conflicts and

managerial issues. An important dimension worth noting is that natural resources have their rate of renewability that may not

match the price at which they are being harvested. Therefore, in the best interest of all, it is desirable that natural resource

depletion is minimised and best management practices are strictly followed. The first step is to identify all possible

stakeholders in the management of the concerned natural resource. Secondly, they will have to be made aware of the situation

and thirdly, by involving all of them, equitable distribution of funds based firmly on the foundation of sustainable use and

resource replenishment is achieved. On this background, this study provides a state of the situation of the beach of three study

villages – Velas, Kelshi and Anjarla in Konkan region. In the initial part of this report, an overview of management challenges

and policy provisions for beaches is provided. This is followed by a section on the setting of the study villages and study

methodology. In the following sections, existing practices related to the beach in the study villages are explained. In the

concluding section a brief of beach management in all study villages and follow up action is provided.

Keywords: Beach Management, Policy Issues, Natural Resources, Marine Biodiversity

1. Introduction

1.1. Coastal Ecosystem: Management Challenges

Our coasts and beaches are precious natural resources

being used by a multitude of stakeholders. A large portion of

international trade is mediated via the sea-route, making

ports along the coast of prime commercial importance. The

fishing community relies on the intertidal zone and offshore

areas for sustenance. The tourism industry flourishes along

the beaches, offering direct contact with the sea as the key

attraction. At the same time, the sea, believed to have an

enormous remediation capacity, receives treated, partially

treated or even untreated sewage and industrial effluent, apart

from solid waste, from seaside settlements. The Hindu

religious tradition of idol immersion in water has ensured

that at least twice a year (Ganapati festival and Durga Puja),

thousands of small to large Plaster-of-Paris or clay idols find

their way into the waters along with flowers and coconuts in

the offering. Coastlines are matters of national security as

well. Among these, the most silent stakeholder is the

intertidal/coastal biodiversity.

Coastal biodiversity includes some of the most important,

most sensitive, most vulnerable and most threatened

ecosystems such as mangroves, coral reefs, estuarine areas,

and intertidal zone. Besides, the coast is the interface

between sea and land, health, biodiversity, ecosystem-

productivity and pollution-free status of the open seas is also

connected with proper coastal management.

1.2. Study Area Details

Velas is located in Mandangad taluka of Ratnagiri district

in coastal Maharashtra. It is situated at the northern boundary

of the region, near the mouth of Savitri River (17°57’27.7” N

2 Deepti Sharma and Nisha Pandey: Community Driven Beach Management Practices: Case Study Velas,

Kelshi, Anjarla Villages of India

and 73°01’55.0” E). Since 2006, it has been a prominent

tourist site due to the Turtle festival it hosts each year. There

is an estuary in the north and a rocky patch in the south,

which is bordered by natural vegetation and a freshwater

stream. Casuarina plantations and Ipomea Biloba surround

most of the beach. The beach is about 2 km in length.

Kelshi is situated to the south of Velas in Dapoli taluka of

Ratnagiri district (17°55’11.4” N and 73°03’16.5” E). The

coastline of Kelshi stretches for approximately 5 km and has

both sandy and rocky shores. The beach is entirely abutted by

casuarina plantations. There is an inlet on the north and a

large rocky patch on the south, where Indian screw pine

(Pandanus sp.) and Ipomoea biloba are predominant.

Anjarla is located in the south of Kelshi in Dapoli taluka of

Ratnagiri district (17°50’47.6” N and 073°05’20.5” E). There

is estuary on the south and a rocky patch on the north. The

beach is flanked by Coconut and Betelnut plantations, Mango

groves, Casuarina plantation and wild pieces of Indian screw

pine and Anjarla has a broad dissipative beach, which

narrows intermittently towards the south.

Figure 1 below is a Google image depicting the

geographical location of the study villages. Demographic

details are given in Table 1.

Figure 1. Geographical Location of Study Villages.

Table 1. Population of the Study Villages as per Census 2011.

Particular Velas Kelshi Anjarla

Total 506 3145 1394

Male 306 1472 672

Female 276 1673 722

Literacy (%) 77 81 83

2. Literature Review

2.1. Olive Ridley Turtle Nesting

The Olive Ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) is a

medium-sized marine turtle, found in the Pacific and Indian

oceans. It is categorised as ‘vulnerable’ (VU) by the IUCN.

Olive Ridley sea turtle is a Schedule - I animal as per the

Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. It is protected under

the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of

Wild Animals and the Convention on International Trade in

Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. India is a party

to both of them.

These turtles show an unusual mass nesting behaviour

termed arribada, a term which means ‘arrival by the sea’ in

the Spanish language. The Odisha beach is particularly well-

known for mass nesting phenomenon of Olive Ridley.

Turtle nesting grounds are sensitive to coastal ecosystems.

In India, they are protected as CRZ – I as per the Coastal

Regulation Zone Notification (2011). Nesting beaches are

usually relatively flat, mid-beach zone, and free of debris [1, 2].

From the conservation point of view, it is essential to

protect beaches known for turtle nesting from littering and

hectic beach activity because the turtle females remember the

beach where they had emerged as hatchlings. They return to

the same beach for laying their eggs [3].

Table 2. Olive Ridley Turtle Details.

Weight Adult: 100 pounds (45 Kg); Hatching: < 1 ounce (28g)

Length Adult: 22-31 inches (55-80 cm); Hatching: 1.5 inches (4 cm)

Appearance Olive/Grayish-green with heart-shaped top shell

Lifespan Unknown, but they reach sexual maturity at about 15 years

Diet: Algae, Lobster, Crabs, Tunicates, Mollusks, Shrimp and Fish

Behaviour Vast numbers of olive ridley turtles come ashore and nest in what is known as an “arribade”; females near every year, once or twice in a

season, laying clutches of approximately 100 eggs

Source: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/oliveridley.htm.

International Journal of Sustainability Management and Information Technologies 2020; 6(1): 1-12 3

2.2. Policy and Legislation

Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972

The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 brought into sharp

focus the importance of conservation of India’s wildlife. The

highlights of the Act are:

The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, provides for protection

to listed species of flora and fauna and establishes a network

of ecologically-important Protected Areas. The Act consists

of 60 sections and six schedules- divided into eight Chapters.

The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 empowers the Central and

State governments to declare any area as a wildlife sanctuary,

national park or closed area. There is a blanket ban on

carrying out any industrial activity inside these Protected

Areas. It provides for authorities to administer and

implement the Act; regulate the poaching of wild animals,

protect specified plants, Sanctuaries, National Parks and

closed areas, restrict trade or commerce in wild animals or

animal articles, and miscellaneous matters. The Act prohibits

poaching of animals except with permission of authorised

officer when an animal has become dangerous to human life

or property or as disabled or diseased as to be beyond

recovery.

Olive Ridley sea turtle is listed in Schedule - I of the Act,

under which its poaching is strictly prohibited.

Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2011

India's coastal and marine environments are under

increasing pressure from urban development, tourism,

recreational activities and resource exploitation. Several

official reports were prepared on the subject, with the result

that in the year 1981, the Government of India notified that

owing to their aesthetic and environmental value, beaches

had to be kept clear of all activities up to 500 m from the

highest water line. To control, minimise and to protect

sensitive coastal stretches from unplanned human

interference, in 1991, The Government of India, framed rules

for the regulation of various Coastal Zone activities and

notified them under the Environment Protection Act, (1986).

This notification is called the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ)

information (1991). The rules were revised subsequently as

per the recommendations of the expert committee headed by

Prof. M. S. Swaminathan. The revised regulations were

notified in 2011. Thus the existing notification is called CRZ

notification (2011).

As per the CRZ notification (2011), the Coastal Zones are

demarcated into zones four zones termed zones I to IV. Of

this, CRZ I includes ecologically sensitive regions, granting

them protection from any activity other than a few

government-related ones.

The CRZ I includes “ecologically sensitive areas like

mangroves (if area more than 1000 square meters, a buffer

area of 50 meters shall be provided), corals, sand dunes, salt

marshes, bird & turtle nesting grounds, horseshoe crab

habitats, seagrass beds, mudflats and the area between Low

Tide Line and High Tide Line; also - National Parks, Marine

Parks, Sanctuaries, reserve forests, wildlife habitats and other

Protected Areas under the provisions of Wild Life (Protection)

Act, (1972), the Forest (Conservation) Act, (1980) or

Environment (Protection) Act, (1986) ; including Biosphere

Reserves &areas or structures of archaeological importance

and heritage sites.”

2.3. Turtle Tourism in Other Parts of the World

Olive Ridley mass nesting events or ‘arribadas’ have been

documented in Odisha state since 1974 [4]. Gahirmatha

Beach near the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary is

particularly well-known for the turtle arribadas. Local

communities reportedly avoid poaching the turtle, instead of

providing them protection during the nesting. During a 1995

study by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the local

community was engaged in the experimental procedures of

tagging turtles and data collection.

Martin (2013) reports successful clean-up of the beaches

of Jekyll Island, Georgia, USA for one year by local citizens

wherein 200 volunteers donated 460 working hours. This was

taken up as a citizen science project by the Georgia Sea

Turtle Center (GSTC), which is a state-of-the-art facility

focused on sea turtle rehabilitation, research, and education.

An exercise such as this helps provide participants with the

ability to feel part of a larger initiative, in turn, feel like they

are making more of an impact. Educating individuals and

inspiring them to participate adds to the significance of both

removals of marine debris in coastal sea turtle habitat and

education to aid in the prevention of further pollution. Once

in the marine environment, waste poses a significant threat to

marine life that can be prevented through the help of citizen

science. Marine debris is any manufactured item that enters

the ocean regardless of source, commonly plastics, metal,

wood, glass, foam, cloth, or rubber. Citizen science is an

effective way to engage volunteers in conservation initiatives

and provide education and skill development. [5]

Campbell (1999) reports Olive Ridley turtle-based rural

eco-tourism in the Costa Rican village of Ostional. In 1995,

only four per cent of Ostional households identified tourism

as a source of income; however, this was substantial in

comparison to that derived from other economic activities.

While most Ostional residents had positive attitudes toward

tourism, they had limited awareness of employment or

investment opportunities. Lack of knowledge and increased

activity by outside investors were listed as significant

challenges by the researchers. The researchers opine that in

the absence of formalised planning or intervention, the

possibilities for the community at Ostional to further benefits

from tourism development will be limited. [6]

Objectives of the Research:

1. To identify stakeholders in beach management in the

study villages.

2. To interact with the stakeholders in beach management

to document their interaction with the beach and

utilisation of the beach by each of them.

3. To develop the profile of beach litter in the study

villages.



3. Methodology

3.1. Stakeholder Identification

Stakeholders in beach management are the individuals or

institutions, private or public, having an interest or concern in

the beach due to any of these reasons: livelihood, recreation,

regulation and commercial use. For developing a beach

management protocol, it is necessary that all possible

stakeholders are identified. In the protocol, roles and

responsibilities of each stakeholder will be mentioned. For

this report, the stakeholders in beach management have been

determined based on, (i) earlier SNM report on stakeholders

in natural resource management in the study villages, (ii)

discussions with the field contact persons of SNM and, (ii)

field observations of the research team. The identified

stakeholders are listed in Table 3 and have been described in

the analysis section. The stakeholders were interviewed to

document their interaction with the beach and the utilisation

of the beach.

Table 3. Stakeholders in Beach Management.

Local Non-local

Individual and Private Institutional and Public Personal and Private Institutional and Public

Fishers – small boats Gram Panchayat Sand dredger drivers Forest Department

Casual visitors – villagers doing

small scale on-shore fishing

Joint Forest Management

Committee Ferry boat drivers

Agriculture and Kharland

development

Waste collectors and Recyclers Kasav Mitra Mandal Tourists Customs

Fishers - trawlers Hospitals and Dispensaries Tour operators Coastguard

Homestay operators Women SHGs SNM Ferry operation company

Local community members Hotel and Resort Owners NGOs Ore transportation dredgers

Mining Company

PWD

Fishery Department

3.2. Interaction with the Stakeholders in Beach

Management

A set of standard questions was prepared to interact with

each stakeholder in the beach management. This open-ended

questionnaire covered aspects like cause or motive of

interaction with the beach, frequency and periodicity of

communication and general practices concerning littering and

waste refusal on the beach. In each study village, 25

households were randomly interviewed to cover the

community as stakeholders in beach management. This

number of families constituted more than 5% of the total

number of homes in each study village. According to Israel

(1992), 5%-10% of the population is sufficient to constitute

the sample size. Due to time and travel limitations, other

stakeholders were purposively interviewed at their location

or over the telephone. [7]

3.3. Profiling of Litter and Waste on the Beach

To document litter and waste found on the beach, periodic

observations and measurements were conducted. For

weighing the litter, it was collected from 100m section of

each beach following Schulz et al. (2015) [8]. Essentially the

collection method is as per the guidelines of the Convention

for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-

East Atlantic (the ‘OSPAR Convention') (Refer Annexure II).

The waste was segregated into individual types. Each type

of, for example, glass waste, rubber waste, religious waste,

medical waste, fishing nets, oil goop, wood waste was

weighed using spring balance. [9, 10]

To check the quantity of waste that washed over to the

three beaches from the sea by high tide, the collection and

weighing on each beach was done just before high tide and

after high tide. To understand the role of tourists in a solid

waste generation on the beaches, these measurements were

conducted thrice during pre-tourism peak period and the

post-tourism peak period in the same month. For each beach,

a total of 4 observations was done (during and before Diwali

in November 2015 and during and before New Year’s Eve in

December 2015).

4. Analysis and Discussion

4.1. Stakeholders in Beach Management

Fishers – small boats: Small boat operators contribute to

floating thermocol pieces which they use for their floats of

the fishing nets. Even damaged fishing nets are seen washed

ashore.

Fishermen – trawlers: Fishing trawlers are vessels which

are designed to operate fishing trawls. Trawling is pulling or

dragging trawl through the water behind one or more trawler.

These trawlers go for fishing in the oceans for more than two

days. These are mechanised vessels.

Ferry boat drivers: Ferry boats non-mechanised vessels

which are used for transportation of people and their goods.

Currently, this service is being used at Anjarle.

Tourists: Tourist comes to all these three villages for their

beaches. And also to enjoy village life. Velas is famous for

its Olive ridley sea turtles, the tourism here is dependent or

limited to that season only. Very few tourists visit Velas

apart from turtle festival.

SNM: Few like-minded people started SNM (Sahyadri

Nisarga Mitra) intending to ‘Broaden the vision of nature

conservation'. It was established on 12th Feb 1992. They are

working on the conservation of Olive ridley sea turtles;

White backed Vultures, White-bellied sea eagles and other


extraordinary animals.

Hospitals and dispensaries: Hospitals and dispensaries

contribute to medical waste which is if not correctly disposed

of it might harm livestock as well as it can also impact

human health severely.

Gram Panchayat: Gram Panchayats are local government

bodies at the village level. The Gram Panchayat is the

foundation of the Panchayat System. A Gram Panchayat can

be set up in villages with a population of more than five

hundred. There is a common Gram Panchayat for two or

more communities if the people of these villages is less than

five hundred. It is called Group-Gram Panchayat.

The Panchayat Act specifies the functions, powers and

duties of the Gram Panchayats. A Gram Panchayat shall

provide for:

1. Sanitation, conservancy and drainage and the

prevention of public nuisances;

2. Curative and preventive measures in respect of any

epidemic;

3. Supply of drinking water and disinfecting the sources

of amount and storage of water;

4. The maintenance, repair, construction and protection of

public streets;

5. The removal of encroachments of public roads or

public places;

6. The management and care of open tanks;

7. Organising voluntary labour for the upliftment of its

area;

8. The control and administration of the Gram Panchayat

Fund;

9. The imposition, assessment and collection of the taxes,

rates or fees;

10. The maintenance and inspection of Dafadars and

Chowkidars;

11. Administration of Nyay Panchayat, etc.

Other Functions Assigned by the State Government:

1. Primary, social, technical, vocational, adult or non-

formal education;

2. Rural dispensaries, health centres, maternity and child

welfare centres;

3. Management of any public ferry;

4. Irrigation;

5. Improved breeding of cattle;

6. Bringing wasteland under cultivation through land

improvement and soil conservation;

7. Promotion of village plantations, social forestry and

farm forestry;

8. Women and child development;

9. The advertising and encouragement of cottage, khadi,

village and small-scale including food processing

industries. [11]

4.2. Joint Forest Management Committee

As per the provisions of National Forest Policy (1988), the

Government of India, vide letter NO. 6.21/89-PP dated 1st

June 1990, outlined and conveyed to State Governments a

framework for creating massive people's movement through

the involvement of village committees for the protection,

regeneration and development of degraded forest lands. This

gave impetus to the participation of stakeholders in the

management of degraded forests situated in the vicinity of

villages. The joint forest management programme in the

country is structured on the broad framework provided by the

guidelines issued by the Ministry. So far, during the last ten

years, 27 State Governments have adopted resolutions for

implementing the JFM programme in their respective states.

As on 15.8.2001, 14254845.95 ha of forests lands are being

managed under JFM programme through 62890 committees.

4.3. Participation of Women in the JFM Programme

i. At least 50% of members of the JFM general body

should be women. For the public body meeting, the

presence of at least 50% women members should be a

prerequisite for holding the general body meeting.

ii. At least 33% of the membership in the JFM Executive

Committee/ Management Committee should be filled

from amongst the women members. The quorum for

holding a meeting of such Executive/ Management

Committee should be one-third of women executive

members or a minimum of one whichever is more. One

of the posts of an office bearer, i.e. President/ Vice-

President / Secretary should be filled by women

members of the Committee. [12]

Homestay operators (Kasav Mitra Mandal)

Homestay owners are household owners who provide

tourists with their food (traditional) as well as look after their

homely accommodation. They are the main component in

tourism as many tourists are dependent on them and also

homestay owners are reliant on tourism.

Waste and rag pickers

Waste and rag pickers are also equally important as

without them it is almost impossible to remove waste from

villages and take it to proper fate.

Casual visitors – villagers doing small scale on-shore

fishing

These are fishermen who do not own the boat and are

fishing for crabs onshore (Rocky as well as Sandy and even

in mangroves).

Biodiversity committees and Researchers

Biodiversity committees must be informed regarding any

research activity in any of these villages. Students or

researchers who come to these three villages to work on their

research project are also can be considered as stakeholders.

Cattle owners

They send their cattle for grazing in open fields. Cattles in

Velas go on the beach for grazing on nearby vegetation and

in other two villages animals use the beach as short cut route

to their daily grazing land or fields.

Tour Operators

Tour operators such as Mumbai Travellers, Trek Mates

India and Treks and Trails India conduct tours from Mumbai

and Pune for turtle tourism.

Forest Department

The Government of Maharashtra created the Mangrove



Cell on January 05, 2012 to protect, conserve and manage the

mangroves of the State. The creation of the Mangrove Cell is

an essential step in the conservation and management of

mangroves in the State. The Cell has also been given the

additional responsibility of protection of coastal biodiversity;

an area seldom paid the attention it deserves. The Cell is

headquartered in Mumbai and headed by a Chief Conservator

of Forests.

The Mangrove Cell of the Forest Department has been an

active initiator in mangrove conservation, associated

livelihoods and other relevant issues. [13, 14]

The Indian Coast Guard

The Indian Coast Guard protects India's maritime interests

and enforces maritime law, with jurisdiction over the

territorial waters of India, including its contiguous zone and

exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Indian Coast Guard

was formally established on 18 August 1978 by the Coast

Guard Act, 1978 of the Parliament of India as an independent

Armed Force of India. It operates under the Ministry of

Defence.

The Coast Guard works in close cooperation with the

Indian Navy, the Department of Fisheries, the Department of

Revenue (Customs) and the Central and State police forces.

The Indian Coast Guard is a multi-mission organisation

concerned with diverse aspects of sea and coastal issues such

as coastal protection, saving the lives of endangered seafarers

and fishers, apprehending smuggler and poachers and even

taking care of marine biodiversity.

With a 7,517-km long coastline, India is located centrally

at the crossroads of trans-Indian Ocean routes. Most cargo

ships that sail between East Asia, America, Europe and

Africa pass through Indian territorial waters. This has paid

enormously to India’s growth and played a significant role in

making India one of the fastest growing economies in the

world. The fact that around 95% of India’s trade by volume

and 70% by value is done through maritime transport. [15]

Source: Smart border management: Indian coastal and maritime security, FICCI (2017).

Figure 2. Key Stakeholder in Indian Coast Security [16].

1. Safety and Protection of Artificial Islands and Offshore

Terminals

Coast Guard ships and aircraft undertake regular patrols to

keep the Offshore Development Areas (ODAs), on both the

Eastern and Western seaboard under surveillance.

2. Protection of Fishermen

Coast Guard ships and shore establishments conduct

regular Community Interaction Programmes (CIPs) to

apprise the fisher-folk about safety measures to be adopted at

sea. Information regarding upkeep and maintenance of boats

and fishing gear is also imparted. Maritime security related

aspects are also disseminated to fisherfolk.

3. Assistance to Fishermen in Distress at Sea

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centers (MRCCs) co-

located with RHQs, coordinate the Search and Rescue (SAR)

efforts undertaken by Coast Guard units. Effective liaison is

also maintained with the concerned state government

departments for expeditious launch of SAR missions and

their successful culmination. [17]

Customs Officials

The Central Board of Excise and Custom is the national

nodal agency responsible for administering Customs, Central

Excise, Service Tax & Narcotics in India. The Customs &

Central Excise department was established in the year 1855

by the then British Governor General of India, to administer

customs laws in India and collection of import duties/land

revenue. It is one of the oldest government departments of

India. Currently, the Customs and Excise department comes

under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance. [18]

Fishery Department

The district of Ratnagiri is known for its long coast line

and suitable ports, together with its relative nearness to the

Arabian Coast. Ratnagiri district is one of the most important

maritime districts of the State with the coastal belt extending

to about 167kms. [19]

The Fisheries Office at Ratnagiri is one of the oldest

district offices of the Fisheries Department. This office was

started in 1936. Superintendent of Fisheries (Coast),

Ratnagiri, is entrusted with the supervision of all fisheries

activities and execution of fishery schemes in the district.


The Marine Biological Research Station at Ratnagiri is

concerned with conducting fishery-related research in the

region [20].

Fishing industry in the district is mainly dependent upon

the exploitation of marine resources. The ichthyologic fauna

of Ratnagiri district is very rich comprising a good number of

varieties viz. prawns, sharks, skates, rays, mackerals,

sardines, tuna, pomfret, karel, and catfish. Prawn processing

is carried out in a big scale which has a great demand abroad

fishing season commences from September and lasts till the

end of May. During the monsoon season, fishing activity

practically comes to a halt except in the creeks. [21]

Ashapura Minechem Pvt. Ltd.

Ashapura Minechem is the flagship company of the

Ashapura Group and well known as India's largest mine

owner & exporter of bentonite. It is among the top five global

producers of bentonite with over 45 million tons of quality

sodium and calcium bentonite reserves across the country. It

has four decades of processing bentonite complemented by

indigenous R&D, the global technology and superior

shipping & port infrastructure. [22]

Usage by the general community members of the study

villages

The beach of the study villages mostly serves as a place

for relaxation. Often, it is used for small-time fishing. We

have also reported the beach being used for open defecation.

On occasions like Ganapati festival, the beach is the central

location for idol immersion. In brief, major general use

categories that emerged from our household survey are (i)

relaxation, (ii) small time fishing, (iii) open defecation and,

(iv) occasional miscellaneous activities like idol immersion.

Among these categories, personal fishing is the most

common use category. In all study villages, more than 20%

of respondents mentioned it. Occasional use was the second

common among all respondents. Per cent distribution of all

respondents in various use categories in the study villages is

presented in Table 4.

Stakeholders putting the beach to different usage – with

focus on the quantity and quality of waste generated by them

have been described in Figures 3, 4 and 5.

Table 4. Percentage of Because of Categories (n = 25).

Parameter Velas Kelshi Anjarla

Coastline length (km) 2 5 2.5

Beach Usage (%)

Relaxation 17 NA 25

Small time fishing 25 33 21

Defecation NA 8

Occasional use 58 67 46

Figure 3. Velas Beach Usage Profile.

Figure 4. Kelshi Beach Usage.

Figure 5. Anjarla Beach Usage.

Tourism on the Beach

Coastal villages in the Konkan region are richer in

biodiversity than inland ecosystems as they have terrestrial as

well as estuarine, inter-tidal, and marine biodiversity. In 2014,

a Quick Biodiversity Valuation was conducted in the study

villages to documented species diversity in the area. [23]

The beaches are an important aspect of coastal villages.

They serve as a habitat for numerous species, especially non-

vertebrates like molluscs and crustaceans. Mega fauna such

as marine turtles use sandy beaches for mass nesting.

Beaches are also very important from an economic

perspective as they are an important site for tourism. Both

biodiversity conservation and economic activities are

important for beach management and need to be balanced to



ensure that neither is negatively affected by management

practices. Thus, destruction of biodiversity must be

minimised, while ensuring that eco-friendly tourism practices

are followed in coastal villages. The first step towards such a

management regime is to identify stakeholders for beach

management. [24]

Tourism is an everyday activity on Kelshi and Anjarla on

the weekends throughout the year. In Velas, it is mostly

confined to not more than 15 days during the turtle festival in

February or March every year.

There are peak periods of tourism in a year. These peak

tourism periods in each study village are listed in Table 5.

Table 5. Tourism Peaks the study villages.

Occasion Time of the Year Velas Kelshi Anjarla

New Year’s Eve/New Year December-January N Y Y

Turtle Festival February-March Y Y Y

Annual village festival April Y Y Y

Ganapati Festival August-September Y Y Y

Navratri September-October Y Y Y

Deepawali October-November Y Y Y

Long weekends All year round N Y Y

Litter and Waste on the Beach

Velas receives a significant amount of waste washed in by

the tidal waves as compared to the other two study villages.

Kelshi is cleaner than the rest two study villages. On all the

three beaches strips of medicinal tablets, medicinal syrup

bottles and syringes are common. General waste washed on

the beach includes plastic waste, liquor bottles, empty milk

packets, Thermocol used in packaging, footwear, and empty

nylon gunny bags. Religious waste like flowers and coconuts

the most common debris that is washed on the beach. Details

of the beach litter profile are presented in Table 6.

Table 6. Beach Litter Profile of the Study Villages.

S. No. Type of waste % of total waste measured during the investigation

Velas Kelshi Anjarla

Degradable

1 Religious waste 1 10 6

Non-degradable

2 Glass 80 60 67

3 Plastic 14 10 17

4 Rubber 4 20 7

5 Medical waste 1 NA 3

Importantly, human faecal matter is prevalent. Its origin is

in the open release of sewage in the open sea by the coastal

villages. It is washed ashore by the high tide. In the study

villages, most of the toilets have lined septic tanks. However,

considerable a proportion of toilets, almost 30%, release their

waste in the open, either in the creek or as seepage in the soil

(locally called Jirta). The proportion of toilet waste disposal

is presented in Table 7.

Table 7. Toilet Waste Disposal in the Study Villages (n = 25).

% of toilet waste disposal system


Lined Septic Tank 72 64 68

Drained directly into the creek 8 28 8

Seepage in the soil 28 8 24

Table 8. The volume of Litter on the Beach.

Data Collection Period

Weight of litter (kg)


Before tide After tide Before tide After wave Before tide After wave

November (Pre-tourism: Diwali) 661 0.5 1 0.5 1.5 0.75

November (During-tourism: Diwali) 10 2 0.4 0.2 1.5 0.5

December (Pre-tourism: New Year) 02 0.5 0.25 0.5 0.2 0.1

December (During-tourism: New Year) 5 0.5 0.3 0.5 2 0.6

Table 9. Beach Litter Weight Before and After High Tide.

Time-period of Data Collection Before Tide (kg) After Tide (kg)

Velas

November (Pre-tourism: Diwali) 66.0* 0.5

November (During-tourism: Diwali) 10.0 2.0

December (Pre-tourism: New Year) 0.0** 0.5

December (During-tourism: New Year) 5.0 0.5

1Abnormally high; data may be an outlier.

2Pre-turtle nesting voluntary cleaning had been carried out before sampling.


Time-period of Data Collection Before Tide (kg) After Tide (kg)

Kelshi

November (Pre-tourism: Diwali) 1.0 0.5


December (Pre-tourism: New Year) 0.25 0.5


Anjarle

November (Pre-tourism: Diwali) 1.5 0.75


December (Pre-tourism: New Year) 0.2 0.1


*Abnormally high; data may be an outlier.

**Pre-turtle nesting voluntary cleaning had been carried out before

Figure 6. Velas Beach Litter Profile.

Figure 7. Kelshi Beach Litter Profile.

Figure 8. Anjarla Beach Litter Profile.



On all the three beaches, human faecal matter was

observed. These were found in two manners – in the form of

a broken line along the high tide line, as though brought in by

the high tide (recognisable as human faecal matter) and also

present on the beach due to those practising open defecation.

Hence, people defecating inside toilets were also probably

contributing to the beach faecal matter, perhaps because their

bathrooms were leading right into the creek (especially in the

case of creek-side dwellers – Kinara mohalla in Kelshi,

Danda community in Velas and Bandarwada in Anjarla) or in

an informal drain network that drained into the creek.

The Gram Panchayat is responsible for septic tank clean-

up of public toilets and roadside drains.

In Velas, there were no public toilets. In Anjarla, all public

restrooms were jirta, as per Gram Panchayat discussion. In

Kelshi, clean-up schedule of public toilets could not be

determined.

In Velas, the Gram Panchayat mentioned cleaning roadside

ditches once a year, before the monsoons. In Kelshi, this was

thrice annually while in Anjarla the schedule was reportedly

irregular. None of the Gram Panchayats shared a sludge

management plan for the sludge they removed from the

roadside ditches or sewage sludge management plan for the

public toilets’ septic tanks.

In jirta toilets, the sewage sludge is difficult to take out as

the so-called septic tanks are unlined and the mud mixes with

soil. In toilets directly draining into the creek, the faecal

matter directly enters the sea. Most of the houses with lined

septic tank were new, and hence, the tanks were not full yet –

they had not undergone their first cleaning, however.

The high tide was found to bring an average of 0.68 kg of

waste to the three beaches. The average litter washed down

to Velas beach by the high tide was higher than that in the

two other beaches (0.88 kg, as compared to 0.42 kg in Kelshi

and 0.48 kg in Anjarla). The bridge construction activity near

Velas may be responsible for the relatively more substantial

quantity of waste being brought in by the high tide.

Another observation was that, the impact of tourist activity

on the beach. During Diwali, in Velas and Kelshi, the during-

tourism beach litter weight before high tide was lesser than

pre-tourism readings while both readings were equal for

Anjarla beach. However, during New Year eve, the beach

litter weights in Velas and Anjarla beaches were considerably

higher (5 times more and ten times more than pre-tourism

readings), though pre-tourism and during-tourism readings

were nearly similar for Kelshi. This indicates that during

New Year, the beaches at the three villages are at higher

tourist pressure, in terms of solid waste.

With the tireless social activities of Sahyadri Nisarg Mitra,

Velas villagers are much more ecologically literate and

conscious than their counterparts in the other villages studied.

Villagers themselves undertake beach clean-up drives,

voluntarily. Also, M/s Infrastructure Logistics Pvt. Ltd.,

Mandangad were responsible for Vela's beach clean-up

activity. The schedule of their beach management activity

could not be determined.

As a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

initiative, M/s Ashapura Minechem Pvt. Ltd. has undertaken

the clean-up of Kelshi beach. However, their schedule of the

clean-up could not be determined. For the beach to remain

clean, precise coordination between peak tourism periods and

beach clean-up drive must be ensured.

Beach litter management practices were reported to be

conducted by school children, but only before the turtle

festival.

Figure 9. Types of Toilets in Velas.

Figure 10. Types of Toilets in Velas, Kelshi.

Figure 11. Types of Toilets in Anjarla.


5. Discussion

Some significant challenges and weaknesses in the beach

management in the study villages

The CSR activity of M/s Ashapura Minechem Pvt. Ltd.

and M/s Infrastructure Logistics Pvt. Ltd. appears unplanned

and irregular. This can be inferred from the fact that local

villagers do not have any idea of the time table of the beach

clean-up activity. This must be better managed and planned

to ensure that beach clean-up activities coincide with high

incidences of beach litter, e.g., Ganapati festival, before turtle

nesting.

Open defecation is practised in Anjarla (admitted by 8% of

surveyed individuals) and by labourers of M/s Ashapura

Minechem Pvt. Ltd. in Kelshi.

Recreation activity like riding a motorbike on the beach is

observed in Kelshi. As of now, it is almost negligible.

However, this may not be so in the future. It may escalate

into free tourist recreation activities like riding sand bikes

and parasailing being done in Harne, Murad, Ladghar and

other adjacent beaches. For the beach ecosystem, such events

are harmful. Gram Panchayat, Biodiversity Management

Committee and other concerned authorities should keep a

strict check on such activities.

Hamlets adjacent to the creek (Danda area in Velas, Kinara

mohalla in Kelshi and Bhandarwada in Anjarla) in the study

villages invariably dispose of their solid waste directly into

the river – this waste may make its way to the nearby beaches

during high tide. Some adequate waste segregation and

management system should be set up so that environmentally

harmful disposal practices are appropriately addressed.

6. Conclusion

The local villagers are not aware about the rules and

timing of cleaning of beach activities. This can be better

managed and planned to ensure that villagers regular

activities and their working timing which should not coincide

with high incidences of beach management. Open defecation

is avoided only by giving facilities and making them feel that

why it is so important and how it can contribute their one

initiative to make a big change in the beach tourism. Many

migrant labourers working in that area reported the reason of

open defecation is due to lack of proper facilities to support

the large inflow of migrants in Kelshi. Recreation activities

can be increased by supporting small changes in these places

which will certainly increase the economic condition and will

create more jobs in those areas e.g. riding motorbikes on the

beach provide a kind of earning model those who are not

getting money from any of the sources . As of now this is

almost negligible but may increase in the future. It may

escalate into uncontrolled tourist recreation activities like

riding sand bikes and para-sailing in Harne, Murud, Ladghar,

and other adjacent beaches.

But overuse or overpromotion of such activities are

harmful for the beach ecosystem. Gram Panchayat, BMCs

and other concerned authorities must remain vigilant to

control such activities.

References

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[4] Shanker, K., Pandav, B., & Choudhury, B. C. (2004). An assessment of the olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) nesting population in Orissa, India. Biological Conservation, 115 (1), 149-160.

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[15] http://www.indiancoastguard.nic.in/.

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[18] http://www.punecustoms.nic.in/ratnagiri.htm.

[19] Marine Fisheries Information Service (1998), Central Marine Fisheries Research Centre, Cochin, India.

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[24] Patwardhan, A. (2014). Report on Rapid Biodiversity Assessment of Coastal Habitat for Implementation of a Start-up Phase in the Velas–Anjarle Coastal Stretch, Maharashtra,

for Conservation and Sustainable Management of Existing and Potential Areas (CMPA). Sahyadri Nisarga Mitra, Chiplun, Maharashtra.

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